Fusion
by Rider Paladin
Summary: A strange accident leaves Robin and Slade merged into one body. As the other Titans scramble for a way to separate them, Slade takes advantage of the opportunity to get to know Raven a little better.


"Fusion"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans does not belong to me at all. DC Comics and Warner Brothers are the lucky parties that own the series, both comic and animated versions. I only own the idea for this particular story and I'm half-certain it's not all that original.

Author's note: I think I was smoking something when I came up with this story. It's my first Robin/Raven and I'm hoping I do the pairing justice. Like many R/R fans, it was "Birthmark" that really got me into the pairing. Before, I'd read R/R stories just to see something different and a lot of them were very good. After "Birthmark," I started coming up with my own ideas for R/R stories, although I've outsourced much of my initial ideas to other authors through the forum system.

Also, I've noticed a growing number of Slade/Raven stories, probably inspired by Season 4's arc. Well, I have to admit that the Titans comic's female fans tend to think Slade is a rather sexy beast. I also have to admit that there's a certain dark charm to the pairing, as Slade in the show is basically an older, stronger, smarter, and eviler Robin. So there'll be some Slade/Raven in this story, but the ultimate pairing will be Robin/Raven.

* * *

"Starfire, you've been searching for Robin for an hour now," Cyborg said over his communicator. "Time to come back to the Tower."

"I cannot go back," Starfire answered firmly. "Not until I find Robin."

"I tried tracking him through his communicator, but something's jamming the signal," Cyborg added.

"It matters not," Starfire declared. "I shall find Robin, come the fires of eternal torment or the high water."

Cyborg was about to speak when he was cut off by a brutal crimson shock.

"Cyborg!" Starfire exclaimed. She looked at the image on her communicator and was shocked to find Slade's masked face before her. "Slade! What have you done to Cyborg?"

"Nothing he won't easily recover from," the mastermind purred and Starfire couldn't help but note that his voice was different. "I just wanted him out of the way for the time being. Now come home, Starfire, unless you want the walls of your silly tower to be painted in the blood of your friends."

Starfire gasped in horror and flew back to the Tower at maximum speed. When she reached the Tower, she saw Slade wrestling Beast Boy as a lion. The mastermind brought his legs up and kicked the shape-shifter off him. Beast Boy morphed into a wolf and lunged at Slade as the armored man reached into his utility belt and pulled out a gray-and-black Birdarang. He threw the Birdarang and when it flew into the air, it did so with a piercing sonic wail.

Beast Boy crumpled to the floor in an agonized human form, as did Starfire due to her acute hearing.

An ethereal raven emerged from the floor and opened its wings to reveal Raven.

"Ah, Raven," Slade greeted. "So good to see you again."

"What are you doing here?" Raven asked. "How did you get into our Tower?"

Slade only chuckled.

Black energy swirled around Raven's right hand and she shot it at Slade in the form of blades. Slade dodged the blades and withdrew a Bo staff from his belt, extending it to its full length and pole-vaulting into a kick that knocked Raven into a wall. Raven levitated into the air and kicked Slade fiercely, the mastermind blocking her every kick. Finally, he grabbed her leg and performed an aikido move, throwing her aside.

The four Titans got up and surrounded Slade.

"You know, firing squads don't usually surround the person they're going to execute," Slade remarked.

Cyborg pointed his Sonic Cannon at Slade. "You like playing with sound? Let's see how you like this sound!"

He fired the Sonic Cannon at Slade, who jumped out of the way and leaped into a flying kick that knocked the half-machine teen for a loop. Beast Boy rushed Slade as a gorilla, only to end up wrestling with the mastermind.

"I've wrestled wild game before," Slade hissed. "And guess who won?"

Slade flipped Beast Boy onto his back and pinned him. However, a starbolt knocked Slade off the shape-shifter. Slade turned his attentions to Starfire, swinging at her with his staff. She grabbed the end of the staff that would have struck her and sent the starbolt through the collapsible metal of the staff, shocking him. Slade quickly recovered, though, and dodged a volley of starbolts from Starfire before trapping her in a polymerized titanium net.

Raven grabbed Slade telekinetically and threw him into a wall, then slammed him into the ceiling face first. Apparently, she slammed him too hard, as when he fell, his mask cracked in the middle and fell apart.

The Titans gasped in shock upon seeing Slade's face. He was far younger than they originally believed him to be, looking to be about 26 years old. His hair was black and hung in mussed, downward-pointing spikes with blond streaks. Periwinkle blue eyes stared back at them.

Starfire and Raven both found themselves blushing.

_He's really . . . quite handsome,_ Raven thought.

"He looks familiar," Beast Boy remarked.

"Yeah," Cyborg agreed.

"Cyborg?" Slade uttered. "Raven? What's going on?"

"You attacked us, Slade," Starfire replied. "Entered our home without our permission and attempted to kill us."

"Slade?" Slade asked, sounding confused. He looked down at himself and saw the Kevlar-chain mail-and-armor ensemble of his costume. "What's going on here?"

"You tell us," Beast Boy answered.

"Wait," Raven said, looking into Slade's eyes. "Robin? Is that you in there?"

"Raven?" Robin-Slade murmured.

"Robin?" the other Titans wondered.

"I can sense him," Raven answered. "Somehow, he and Slade have been fused into one body."

"How did that happen?" Beast Boy asked.

"Remember that scientist Dr. Rhys?" Robin-Slade asked. "She had designed this machine that could fuse two organic entities together. She was hoping to use it to create stronger, longer-lasting flora. Of course, Slade had his own plans for that machine. I was fighting him and then . . . I don't really remember what happened after that."

"We'll have to go back to Dr. Rhys and get that machine from her," Cyborg reasoned. "Then we can figure out how to reverse its effects."

"So . . . how merged are you two?" Beast Boy asked.

"We still retain our own separate personalities," Robin-Slade replied, "but we know everything about each other. Everything."

"Does that mean you know who Slade really is?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah," Robin-Slade replied.

"Good," Beast Boy stated. "Then you can tell us –"

"What happened to your beloved Terra?" Slade-Robin finished. "Why she doesn't remember being a Titan? Why she wants nothing to do with you?"

Beast Boy growled, feeling every word from Slade-Robin's mouth like a knife to his gut.

"So what do we do with him?" the changeling asked.

"We lock him up," Cyborg replied.

"You'll have to change the access codes to the cell," Robin-Slade stated. "Our minds are merged, so Slade would probably know the access codes, too. Don't tell me what you're using and don't give me the chance to find out."

"Sure thing, Robin," Cyborg said.

"Who shall watch over them?" Starfire inquired.

"Cyborg and I will guard them," Raven replied.

"Why you two?" Beast Boy questioned.

"Because you and Starfire are too close to them emotionally," Cyborg answered. "You'd try to rip the answers to what happened to Terra out of Slade and he'd just bait you all the way. Starfire, he'd manipulate your feelings for Robin."

Beast Boy and Starfire sagged, realizing the truth in Cyborg's words.

* * *

So it came to be that Slade-Robin sat on a cot in an energy-barred cell. "Impressive," the merged mastermind-vigilante remarked.

"Gee, thanks," Cyborg remarked sarcastically.

Slade-Robin removed his utility belt and armor plating, leaving him in just black Kevlar and gray chain mail. Somehow, he looked a little more vulnerable, now that the armor was off.

He caught Raven looking at him and smiled. "Why, Raven . . . see something you like?"

"Not really," Raven answered bitingly.

"Your caustic wit is as endearing as ever," Slade-Robin commented. "It's nice to see that you've retained that in light of what has gone on between us."

"You were after me to surrender to Trigon so you could collect whatever reward he promised you to get you in his service," Raven sneered.

"A regrettable decision," Slade-Robin admitted, "but it allowed me to see you – _truly see you_ – for the first time."

Raven shivered at the words, hearing the restrained passion and seduction in his voice.

"Quit playing around, Slade," Cyborg snarled.

"Or you'll do what?" Slade-Robin asked. "Any harm you visit upon me will also be visited upon Robin, remember?"

Raven held up a hand to silence Cyborg. "I can handle him, Victor."

Cyborg seemed to calm a bit. "I'll keep a close eye on that bastard and I suggest you do the same, Raven."

Slade-Robin stretched, his muscles straining noticeably against the tight black fabric of his suit. He reclined on the cot and closed his eyes.

Raven floated into a lotus position and began to meditate, intending to use it to substitute for sleep. When she "awoke" from her trance, she found Slade-Robin (or Robin-Slade) murmuring in his slumber.

"Yeah, Raven . . . that's the way . . ."

Cyborg raised the brow of his organic eye. "That's how it's been for the last hour. Not hard to figure out what they're dreaming about." He whistled lowly. "And here I thought it was Starfire Robin wanted."

Raven blushed. She'd started developing feelings for Robin after melding minds with him to save him from a hallucinogenic dust that made him fight an extremely realistic illusion of Slade that would have killed him otherwise. Sometime after she banished Trigon from the earthly plane, she'd come to the realization that she _loved_ Robin. It wasn't a simple crush or even an exaggerated form of gratitude for the person who had rescued her in all the ways that counted; it was love, pure and simple.

However, she'd thought he was just trying to protect a teammate and friend, convinced that Starfire was the one who held his heart. Never in a thousand years would she have imagined that he returned her feelings.

Unfortunately, there was another dimension to this. Slade was fused with Robin, body and mind, and so Raven had to wonder if he was sharing Robin's dream. That possibility nearly made her retch. She didn't want Slade having those kinds of thoughts about her.

As much as she wasn't planning on it, her eyes fell on his crotch, or to be more precise, what was straining against it.

A purple-cloaked, corset-wearing avatar of lust wolf-whistled in Raven's mind. _Damn! That is one impressive package._

_I don't want to see Slade's "package,"_ Raven growled internally.

_Technically, since he's fused with Robin, it's Robin's package, too,_ Lust rejoined, _and I know you like staring at it when you don't think anyone's looking._

_Well, it's hard to avoid it when he wears tight green pants,_ Raven justified.

_Say what you want; we all know you wanna throw Robin down on the floor, tear his clothes off, and –_

_Enough,_ Intelligence interrupted. _We all know what Raven would like to do with Robin._ Oddly enough, she was reading the Kama Sutra while speaking.

"You ok, Raven?" Cyborg asked, jarring her out of her mindscape.

"Yeah," Raven replied. "I'm fine."

Before she could speak any further, she suddenly found herself awash in unfamiliar sensations. She felt need and desire coursing through her veins as phantom hands caressed her body in the most erotic of ways.

"Raven?" Cyborg asked. "Your body temperature just went up a bit. You sure you're fine?"

"Yeah . . . I'm sure," Raven answered, biting her lip to stifle a moan.

What the hell was wrong with her? Where did those unusual sensations come from? Why did she react the way she did to them? She was supposed to be above this sort of thing!

_You don't have to hold back anymore,_ Lust purred. _Now that you're free from Trigon, you're free to indulge in your desires._

_I don't "indulge,"_ Raven snarled silently. _And I have no intention of spreading my legs for the first guy that comes along like so many of these girls out there._

Lust laughed in a mocking melody. _Poor thing._ _Thanks to mean old Daddy, you had to go through your adolescence holding back every single sexual thought and feeling that ever popped into your head. You don't have to do that anymore. The boy of our dreams isn't so unattainable now._

_Even if he doesn't love Starfire, he's still merged with Slade,_ Intelligence insisted. _I doubt Raven would enjoy making love to Robin with Slade's presence lurking within their shared body._

_The great thing about older men, particularly the ones who are really fit, is that they're not as quick to fire as younger men,_ Lust remarked. _In a manner of speaking._

_And did you sleep with any older men, Lust?_ Brave asked snidely.

_Nope, Raven won't let me,_ Lust replied. _Which is too bad._ _I happen to find Slade particularly sexy._

_And what the hell is so sexy about Slade?_ Brave questioned angrily.

_His voice,_ Lust replied. _Don't tell me his voice doesn't make you all slippery in the nether regions._

_I find nothing arousing about Slade's voice,_ Raven said.

_Sure you don't,_ Lust drawled, her tone suggesting that she didn't quite believe Raven.

_Those weren't my emotions,_ Raven said. _I felt them, but they weren't really mine._

_So whose were they?_ Brave asked.

_Robin's . . . and Slade's,_ Intelligence replied. _Somehow, they were able to project their feelings of desire for you through the bond you share with Robin. I suspect it was deliberate on Slade's part._

_Deliberate?_ Raven asked. _But how?_

_He was able to get into your dreams when he was working for Trigon,_ Intelligence answered. _I suspect he used his experience in that to learn how to manipulate your bond with Robin to his advantage._

_Goddamn son of a bitch!_ Brave yelled. _I'll mess him up real good for that!_

_We can't,_ Timid whimpered. _He's too strong . . . and we'll hurt Robin if we fight him._

Raven sighed. Despite her vaunted self-control, in the recesses of her heart, she yearned for someone to touch her the way a lover would. Slade must have picked up on that repressed desire and now he was trying to twist it to make her want him.

Azar help her, it was almost working.

* * *

In the morning Robin-Slade awoke to see Starfire and Beast Boy watching over him. "Hey, guys," he greeted.

"Did you sleep well, Robin?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah," Robin-Slade replied.

"So if you know everything Slade knows, you probably know what he did with Terra, right?" Beast Boy surmised.

"X'Hal, Beast Boy!" Starfire exclaimed indignantly. "Our friend is going through a most difficult time and it is not right for us to try to exploit his situation for our own gain."

"I know, but it's driving me crazy not knowing how Terra came back and why she doesn't remember me!" Beast Boy cried out.

Robin-Slade's eyes dimmed in sadness for his friend. "I know what happened to her. Slade had nothing to do with it, but he knows. Terra's ancestry is the royal family of a small Eastern European country called Markovia. Apparently, a special bloodline trait of the family was earth-related abilities. She inherited the power from her father the king, who abandoned her because she was an illegitimate child.

"There was a scientist who came from Markovia, Dr. Helga Jace, who used some kind of experimental treatment to restore Terra to flesh and blood. A side effect of it was that Terra had no memory of anything that had happened in her life, including us. Dr. Jace gave her new memories, of a life without Titans, without Slade, and without powers. She became, effectively, a normal girl.

"I know it hurts, Beast Boy, but she's happier this way. If you still wanna be in her life, that's all right, but don't try to force her to remember. She's better off now."

Beast Boy sighed. "Thanks. At least now I know what happened to her." He paused. "But what's her name?"

"Tara Markov," Robin-Slade answered.

Starfire placed a comforting hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. "Take heart, Beast Boy. Tara may no longer remember what came before, but this is an opportunity for you to make new memories with her. Better memories."

"I suppose you're right," Beast Boy concluded.

"You mind letting me out?" Slade-Robin asked. "I have to take a shower."

"We will watch you closely," Starfire declared firmly.

"Figures you'd want an excuse to see Robin naked," Slade-Robin remarked.

"You are not Robin," Starfire growled.

"Technically, I am," Slade-Robin answered. "I am Slade and I am Robin. Deal with it, Starfire."

Starfire input the release codes to the cell and the energy bars dissipated. Slade-Robin stepped out and allowed Starfire and Beast Boy to escort him to the bathroom. The three stood in the large bathroom, the curtain separating them from the communal showers.

"There isn't a camera in here, is there?" Slade-Robin asked.

"Nope," Beast Boy replied. "No way would we wanna see _you_ naked."

Slade-Robin reached behind his back and removed his gloves and boots. Once those were off, he unzipped the back of his suit and began to pull it down, at which point Starfire and Beast Boy turned their backs. However, Starfire couldn't help slipping looks at Slade-Robin when she thought he or Beast Boy couldn't see her. Unfortunately for her, Slade-Robin caught her and winked mischievously at her, which elicited a shameful blush.

Finally, Slade-Robin was in the shower with his suit in a crumpled heap on the floor and hot water cascading over his body, wiping away the detritus from his exertions.

* * *

Meanwhile, Raven meditated in her room, trying her utmost to block out any thoughts of desire for Robin or Slade.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos . . . Azarath Metrion Zinthos . . . Azarath Metrion Zinthos . . . Azarath Metrion Zinthos . . ."

As hard as she meditated, she couldn't push these particular feelings aside as she'd been able to do with the others. She'd literally _felt_ their passion for her, felt their dream hands stroke her body as though it was really happening. That wasn't something one easily ignored, especially if that one had never before experienced a man's or a woman's touch in such a manner.

_You can't just meditate it away, Raven,_ Lust whispered. _Try something else._

_Like what?_ Raven retorted.

_Like . . . touching yourself,_ Lust suggested. _Explore your body. See what makes it tick. See what makes you feel good._

_I can't do that,_ Raven replied. _I mean, if I . . . the Tower could go up in flames!_

_Maybe, maybe not,_ Lust commented nonchalantly. _But it's not a good idea to bottle it up like that. You have to let it out somehow._

_I hate to say it, but she is being logical,_ Intelligence reluctantly agreed. _Sexuality is one of the fundamental drives of a large number of living creatures. Now that Trigon's gone, you have greater control over your powers, so it makes little sense for you to continue to restrain yourself as you have for so long._

_Sure, take her side,_ Raven grumbled.

* * *

Back in the bathroom, Starfire and Beast Boy were being treated to something most disturbing. That something happened to be soft moans coming from the stall in which Slade/Robin was showering.

"Has he injured himself?" Starfire wondered.

"They used to call it self-abuse, but no, he's not hurting himself at all," Beast Boy replied, shivering.

The peak of this disturbing behavior came when they heard Slade/Robin softly moan Raven's name.

"Raven?" Beast Boy uttered in shock. "That psycho wants Raven? In _that_ way?"

"While I cannot deny that Raven would be considered desirable by many males, I am most disconcerted that one of those males happens to be our worst enemy," Starfire spoke.

"Hey, finish up in there, you goddamn pervert!" Beast Boy yelled.

The shower stopped running and a few minutes later, Slade/Robin came out wearing just a towel around his waist.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I had to relieve some tension. You understand relieving tension, don't you, Beast Boy?"

"Yeah, but do you have to relieve your tension to my friend?" Beast Boy asked indignantly. "I'm not gonna let you hurt her!"

"Silly Garfield," Slade/Robin purred and this time, there was no mistaking it; it was definitely Slade talking. "I wouldn't dream of hurting her."

"Yeah, right," Beast Boy sneered in utter disbelief.

"Believe what you want, Beast Boy," Slade-Robin said as he picked up his uniform and walked out of the bathroom, the two Titans trailing behind him. He went into Robin's room with Starfire and Beast Boy following him. The mastermind-slash-vigilante looked through Robin's wardrobe, sighing with disgust at the bright red and green he found inside. Finally, he pulled back a hidden panel, revealing black fabric. "This looks promising."

He pulled out the black fabric, revealing that it was a sleeveless turtleneck with an R-shaped metal badge, pants, long gloves, and boots. Additionally, he found silver-white arm-guards and shin-guards, as well as a utility belt and a thigh holster.

"Where did those come from?" Beast Boy asked.

"Turn around," Slade-Robin answered. "I'd like not to scar your delicate eyes."

Starfire and Beast Boy turned around as Slade-Robin donned the ensemble. "Is it safe to look upon you yet, Slade?"

"Go ahead," Robin-Slade replied.

Starfire and Beast Boy turned around and saw Robin-Slade in his new attire. The gloves came up to his shoulders with the arm-covers granting additional protection, as did the shin-guards over his boots. The thigh holster contained a pair of escrima sticks and a V-shaped black mask covered his eyes.

"Dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed in astonishment. "That outfit's wicked!"

"I am not sure if the costume is evil, but it will certainly give pause to anyone who wishes to start the trouble with you," Starfire agreed.

"Glad you like it," Robin-Slade replied. "Where's Cyborg?"

Just then, the communicators beeped. Starfire answered hers. "Salutations, Cyborg. I trust your search for a way to reverse the fusion machine's effects has borne fruit, yes?"

"Fixit and I kinda ran into a snag," Cyborg replied. "The machine was trashed."

"Sorry," Slade-Robin remarked in a tone that wasn't very apologetic.

"And there's something else you guys need to know about," Cyborg added. "The way the machine works, Slade and Robin will continue merging until . . . well, whichever personality remains dominant at the end of this, it won't be purely Slade or Robin anymore. It'll be a more-or-less complete blend of both of them."

"How could that happen?" Beast Boy asked.

"In plant life, the fusion would be total and absolute," Fixit interjected. "With sentient entities, the physical fusion is total but the mental fusion takes longer. Regardless, it will happen eventually and you will have someone who is both and neither of the two that came before him."

"We cannot let that happen!" Starfire exclaimed. "I do not wish for Robin's personality to be consumed by Slade's!"

"You ever think that maybe _I'd_ be the one getting 'consumed' by Robin, you nit?" Slade-Robin sniped.

"Relax, Star," Cyborg said. "We won't let that happen. In fact, we're bringing the machine back with us right now so we can figure out how it works and how to put it back together."

"Hurry up!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "It's giving me the creeps seeing them like that!"

"Coming home soon," Cyborg responded. "Cyborg out."

"Now where's Raven?" Slade-Robin asked. "Meditating on the rooftop? Or in her room?"

"If you know what is good for you, you will stay far away from my friend," Starfire spoke in a forbidding tone, her eyes glowing to emphasize the implied threat.

"Starfire," Slade-Robin intoned. "Do not presume to think you can tell me whom I am allowed to approach."

* * *

He walked away from her and Beast Boy, tapping into the bond to track down Raven. He found her in her room, finished meditating and reading a book. He scanned the cover, finding it to be the latest novel by Stephen King.

"Stephen King," Slade-Robin remarked. "You have excellent taste, Raven."

"Slade," Raven hissed in disgust. "I want to know how you did that to me last night."

"Did what?" Slade-Robin asked in mock innocence.

"Filled my head with your lust for me," Raven answered.

"Technically, my _and_ Robin's lust for you," Slade-Robin amended. "You may not realize it, my princess of darkness, but you are a truly captivating woman. Any man would and should be honored to be your lover."

"Unfortunately for you, I'm not interested in you in any such manner," Raven retorted. "I find you to be a completely disgusting human being and I would sooner offer myself to Beast Boy than I would allow you to touch me."

"I know, it's Robin you want," Slade-Robin mused. "You could have him, you know. He loves you, Raven, as much as you love him. Why not bask in that love?"

"Because you're there," Raven replied. "You're in him, as surely as he is in you, and I would prefer to be with _Robin,_ not some sick amalgamation of him and you."

"It won't matter eventually," Slade-Robin spoke. "Eventually, the thin line that divides my and Robin's personalities will fray into nothing and he and I will truly be one. One person, one personality, with all the skills that he and I possess."

"We won't let that happen," Raven vowed.

"Really?" Slade-Robin asked. "What if this new person that was forged by our merging was more Robin than me? What would you say?"

"It doesn't matter," Raven answered. "I know Robin. He'd rather be dead than blended with a monster like you."

Suddenly, the alarm rang. "Looks like I'll have a chance to test the equipment in this costume," Slade-Robin remarked.

Robin-Slade and Raven marched toward the exit of Titans Tower. "Starfire, you stay here," he ordered. "When Cyborg comes back, he'll need your technological expertise to help him and Fixit put that machine back together. Beast Boy, Raven, you're with me."

* * *

The three Titans found themselves confronting Johnny Rancid and a machine dragon.

"Hey, Bird Boy!" Rancid shouted. "I got me a new pet and he's gonna burn this motherless bitch of a city down!"

"We'll trash your new pet the way we trashed your other ones," Robin-Slade declared.

"Yeah, sure," Rancid dismissed him. "Burn these mothers down!"

The machine dragon roared and breathed fire at the three Titans. Raven generated a shield to protect them and the flames dissipated harmlessly against it.

The dragon flapped its wings and launched itself into the sky, proceeding to dive at the Titans. Beast Boy transformed into a tyrannosaurus rex and rammed the dragon's head with his own. That turned out to be a mistake, as the dragon's head was harder than his.

Beast Boy reverted to human form and cried out, "Owww! Crap, what is that thing made out of?"

"Titanium-steel!" Rancid shouted.

Robin-Slade growled and pulled his escrima sticks out of his thigh holster.

"Come on, Bird Boy!" Rancid shouted. "I'm ready for you!"

Robin-Slade charged Rancid and struck him with the escrima sticks, following up with a kick to the stomach. Rancid drew a gun and shot at Robin-Slade, only for the bullets to be stopped by the polymerized titanium of his costume.

"Nice try," Robin-Slade sneered and struck him in the face with both escrima sticks.

Rancid shot at Robin-Slade again, but the vigilante-mastermind easily sidestepped the shot. To the surprise of Robin-Slade, he laughed.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" Robin-Slade asked.

Rancid smirked cruelly and pointed at Raven, whose leotard sleeve was stained with blood.

"Raven . . ." Robin-Slade uttered in horror. He turned to Rancid with a look of supreme rage on his face. He placed the escrima sticks back in the thigh holster and kicked Rancid brutally in the stomach, causing him to cough up vomit and blood. He followed up with a brutal punch to the chest and a heel slam to the chin, breaking his jaw.

That might have been enough to disable Rancid, but Robin/Slade wasn't done yet. He grabbed the biker by his arm and twisted until he heard the bone fracture. He pulled out a modified black-and-gray Birdarang and stabbed Rancid in the leg with the "tail," eliciting a scream of pain from him.

"Robin, stop!" Raven shouted.

Robin/Slade breathed heavily, internally debating whether to listen to Raven or to continue brutalizing Rancid.

_What are we doing?_ Robin asked.

_Punishing him,_ Slade replied. _Teaching him what happens to people who hurt our Raven._

_You may want to hurt him, but I don't,_ Robin said.

_Liar,_ Slade answered. _I know you want him to feel pain for what he did to Raven. You want it as badly as I do._

_Doesn't matter,_ Robin stated. _We're not doing this._

_We already have,_ Slade amended, allowing Robin to take control.

"We'd better get Rancid to a hospital," Robin-Slade said. He looked at the wreckage of Rancid's machine dragon. "Good work."

* * *

When the three Titans returned to the Tower, they saw Starfire, Cyborg, and Fixit hard at work reconstructing the fusion machine.

"How's it going?" Robin-Slade asked.

"It is going well, Robin," Starfire replied. "We are making considerable progress."

"How long will it be until you're finished?" Robin-Slade asked.

"If we work all day and night, it should be finished by the next morning," Cyborg replied.

"Good," Robin-Slade stated, moving to escort Raven to the infirmary.

"It's ok," Raven said. "It's already healed."

"Then I'll take you to your room," Robin-Slade suggested.

"Sure, just don't try anything with me," Raven answered.

* * *

The walk to Raven's room was done in silence. Once they reached the door, Robin-Slade spoke.

"Raven?" he wondered.

"Yes, Robin?" Raven asked.

"If . . . when Slade and I are separated, would you . . . would you . . . like to go on a date with me?" Robin-Slade asked.

"I'd like that very much," Raven replied.

After Raven entered her room, Beast Boy escorted Robin-Slade to his cell and input the lock code, trapping the vigilante-slash-mastermind inside.

* * *

That night Raven dreamed, but she wasn't alone in her dreamscape. Slade-Robin was with her.

"_Raven, why do you fight it?" he asked._

"_Because you're an evil piece of trash and I shouldn't have feelings for you," Raven replied._

"_But you do," Slade-Robin insisted. "I know full well how you feel about me and Robin. It is Robin that holds your heart and soul, but despite your hatred for me, it is I that enflames the passions of your demonic side. Like is attracted to like, after all."_

"_I am nothing like you, Slade," Raven snarled._

"_Aren't you?" Slade-Robin asked, suddenly appearing behind her and embracing her. "Deep down, you and I are the same, powerful beings of darkness. It only makes sense that we be together."_

"_I don't want you," Raven answered._

"_You may be able to fool the others, but you can't fool me," Slade-Robin said. "Even if you won't admit it, I know you want me."_

_Raven tried to pull away from his embrace, but he wouldn't let go. "Stop it."_

"_I'll stop when you admit your real feelings," Slade-Robin answered. "Then again, you might not want me to stop."_

"_You must think you're God's gift to women, don't you?" Raven remarked sarcastically._

"_No, just Lucifer's gift to you," Slade-Robin replied with a smirk. "It's only a dream, my dear Raven. There are no such things as consequences when it's all in your head."_

"_Go away, Slade," Raven said. "I have no desire for you whatsoever."_

"_Tell yourself that all you want," Slade-Robin whispered in her ear._

The dream ended and Raven awoke, sweat causing her leotard and sheets to stick to her body.

"Morning can't come soon enough," she muttered and tried to sleep again.

* * *

Morning did come and the first person to greet her was Robin-Slade. "Sleep well?" he asked her.

"Not really," Raven replied.

"Bad dreams?" Robin-Slade asked.

"You could say that," Raven answered.

"Well, it's gonna be over soon," Robin-Slade replied. "Cyborg, Star, and Fixit are done repairing the machine." He smiled at her. "Are we still on for our date?"

"Sure," Raven responded. "How's tonight sound?"

"I'll be there," Robin-Slade replied. "Just me, no Slade tagging along in my body and mind."

"I'm looking forward to that," Raven said.

* * *

Night came and Robin gazed upon his reflection, glad to see himself and only himself in the mirror. Slade had waltzed out of Titans Tower with not a cryptic threat, but a cryptic promise directed at Raven. The Teen Wonder remembered the mastermind's words clearly.

"_You'll see when the time comes, Raven."_

He tensed up with determination. "I won't let him touch you, Raven. I swear it."

Presently, Robin wore a short blue denim jacket over a black shirt with a crimson bird print on the front and blue denim pants with black-and-gray sneakers. A pair of sunglasses covered his eyes.

He smiled and walked out of his room to Raven's room. As he approached, he saw the door open and Raven step out. When she did, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

Raven wore a royal purple corset and black pants that looked like she'd been poured into them. Black low-heeled boots covered her feet and calves and she wore a black leather jacket and choker.

"Robin?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah?" Robin asked, embarrassed at having allowed himself to zone out at the sight of her outfit.

"I know they're nice, but you might want to pull your eyes up a bit," Raven advised.

Robin blushed, his embarrassment evident. "Sorry . . . I . . ."

Raven chuckled. "I didn't mind. Much." She held her arm out. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Robin replied, entwining her arm with his. "So where are we going?"

"I'll keep that my little surprise," Raven answered with an almost mischievous smirk. "Just to let you know, I don't kiss on the first date."

_Wherever she's taking me, I think I'm gonna like it,_ Robin thought with a smile. Out loud, "That's all right. I'll wait as long as I have to for a kiss from you."

* * *

End Notes: There you have it, my very first Robin/Raven and Slade/Raven story. There were a lot of things I wanted to do with this story, but I didn't want to make the story too long. If enough of you ask, I just might write a short piece describing Robin and Raven's date.

Daybreak25, Amber Myst, SweetNCrazieSugarmuffin: Thank you all for pushing me to write this story.


End file.
